Easy butter chicken curry
I love butter chicken, but I’m not so keen on takeaways – so I set about creating my own recipe which is utterly delicious and very easy to make at home. I’ve had rave reviews about this one. The number of people who tell me that their normally fussy husband/children/wife gobbled it down then asked for seconds is a very good sign! Delicious served with hot crispy naan bread. If you like your curry spicy, add more chilli powder.
Serves 4
Ingredients
800g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp neutral oil (I used grape seed)
50g butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 x 400g can tomato purée
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup cream
¼ cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
Fresh chopped parsley, to serve
Method
Mix the chicken with the lemon juice, yoghurt and paprika in a bowl, cover and marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in frying pan over a high heat then sear the chicken pieces in batches until golden. Set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, then add the butter, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cardamom, cinnamon and chilli. Cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and juices back to the pan. Add the tomato purée, sugar and chicken stock. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until the sauce thickened, and the chicken is cooked through. Add the cream, yoghurt and fenugreek leaves if using, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt, and sprinkle with the parsley.
Serve with basmati rice and naan bread.
